Nov 03 2022 36 mins
"A heightened sense of expectations creates a stressful holiday experience. We work so hard to make the holidays 'happy' for our families by making the perfect dinner, buying the best presents, or having the best decor. These heightened expectations are often the greatest source of our stress." - Dr. Kahn.
Dr. Kahn says that managing our expectations around the holidays and being willing to accept what happens will help us to have a more peaceful experience - not only during the holidays but in the rest of our lives. Focus on ways to make things good and find the positive. Use any unmet expectation to create an opportunity for good.
For example, if you have 10 people cancel last minute for your family dinner, make a trip to a local shelter and donate those meals to families in need. Changing the narrative and turning disappointment into opportunity takes practice, but it can be life-changing for you and those around you.
Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve are such special days, so the pressure builds on making things perfect on those days. With practice, we can remove the pressure from those days and become more flexible in enjoying the full holiday season with a positive attitude and optimistic perspective.